Dangote Thanks Tinubu, Nigerians Over Refinery’s Takeoff
Nigeria’s oil and gas sector received a major boost on Friday as the Dangote Refinery, the largest single-train refinery in the world, commenced production of diesel and aviation fuel.
The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, said the refinery would end the country’s dependence on imported refined products and create thousands of jobs.
He also praised the former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Bola Tinubu, for his vision and support that inspired him to embark on the refinery project some years ago.
Dangote said Tinubu gave him “support, encouragement, and thoughtful advice” at various stages of the project, which helped to overcome the challenges and expedite the completion of the refinery.
He said: “This production, as witnessed today, would not have been possible without his visionary leadership and prompt attention to detail. His intervention at various stages cleared all impediments, thereby accelerating the actualisation of the project.”
Dangote said the refinery, which has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, had so far received six million barrels of crude oil at its two Single Point Mooring (SPM) buoys located 25 kilometres from the shore.
He said the first crude delivery was done on Dec. 12, 2023, and the sixth cargo was delivered on Jan. 8, 2024.
He said the refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries, and the products from the refinery will conform to Euro V specifications.
He said the refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms.
He said: “We have started the production of diesel and aviation fuel, and the products will be in the market before the end of the month. This is a big day for Nigeria. We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone. This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects. This is a game changer for our country, and I am very fulfilled with the actualisation of this project.”
He also acknowledged the support of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Nigerians for their support and belief in the historic project.
He said: “These organisations have been our dependable partners in this historic journey.”
The National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, said the association was eager to have the price list of the products from the refinery.
He said: “We want to know Dangote petroleum products prices. We will request the list so that we can give it to our members. We also want the refinery to allocate some products to independent marketers.”
